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News

Reiman Gardens exhibit at U.S. Botanic Garden

Iowa State's Reiman Gardens is one of 20 public gardens participating in an exhibit called "Celebrating America's Public Gardens" at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. this summer. The exhibit runs May 26 through Oct. 8 and celebrates the importance and diversity of public gardens across the country. Reiman Gardens will be represented alongside public gardens from several states including California, Florida and Hawaii. The United State Botanical Garden and the American Public Gardens Association is sponsoring the exhibit.

ISU Memorial Day ceremony is May 28

Iowa State University's Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday, May 28, in the Molecular Biology Building auditorium, directly east of the university cemetery. The annual observance is in memory of all ISU employees, retirees and spouses who have died in the past year.

Cyclones in mascot 'final four'

The Cyclones have made it to the "final four" in
the "most
dominant college mascot" tourney sponsored by CBS SportsLine.com.
The Cyclones face Sparty of Michigan State in the latest online
vote, which is under way now. Voting ends June 1.

Iowa State formula race car cracks top 20 for third year in a row

Iowa State University's Formula SAE Team is becoming a fixture
in the top-20 of an international competition that has students designing,
building and racing mini Formula 1-style race cars. Over the past three
years, Iowa State's team has finished 18th, seventh and now 18th.

Meg Gerrard, an Iowa State psychology professor, will use the
latest research to describe what goes through the teen mind during
risk-taking decision making. She'll deliver an invited presentation at the Association
of Psychological Sciences Annual Convention this week in Washington,
D.C.

Iowa State conference to help Iowa small businesses win federal
innovation funds

The first Iowa State University conference to help Iowa
businesses win federal innovation and technology transfer dollars will be 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, in the Scheman Building at the Iowa State
Center.

Iowa State scientists demonstrate first use of nanotechnology to
enter plant cells

A team of Iowa State scientists is the first to
successfully use nanotechnology to penetrate plant cells, simultaneously
delivering a gene and a chemical to activate it. The breakthrough
creates a powerful new tool that could transform plant biotechnology.

Birrell named to new professorship

Stuart Birrell, associate professor in Iowa State University's
agricultural and biosystems engineering department, has been named to
fill a new professorship created by the founders and owners of KINZE
Manufacturing Inc. in Williamsburg.

Amrit Tiwana, an associate professor of logistics operations
and management information systems at ISU, has led research of more than 100
major technology companies on managers' behavior during high-tech failing projects. One of the studies earned the Best Article Award for 2006 by the
editorial team of Decision Sciences.

Facts regarding status of tenure case at Iowa State

Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Iowa State, is appealing the university's April decision to not grant him tenure and promotion. The appeal of the final tenure decision is now with ISU President Gregory Geoffroy, who will evaluate the case and provide a final decision by June 6, 2007. Tenure is a complex process. It is among the most important decisions a university makes and is never taken lightly. Outside of academia, however, there is little shared understanding of tenure, its rigor and significance. For that reason, and because Gonzalez's appeal has generated a number of questions, the FAQ below may be helpful in understanding the tenure process at Iowa State.

The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa
State and the League of Women Voters of Ames, Iowa, are sponsoring Ready to Run: Campaign Training for Women on Friday, June 1, at the
Scheman Center at the Iowa State Center in Ames.

Sesquicentennial fun

In the news

New York City ban feeds demand for trans fat free oils

New England Journal of Medicine

As bakers, cooks and chefs face the New York City ban on trans fats,
they're trying out substitute oils in recipes. They're part of a
nationwide rush to remove trans fats from foods that has boosted demand
for new oils, like the low-linolenic soybean oil developed at Iowa
State, says plant breeder Walter Fehr, distinguished professor of
agronomy.

Bit parts on TV drill Home Depot brand into shows

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Brand messages from top retailers like Home Depot are being written into
your favorite TV scripts. Jay Newell, assistant professor of journalism
in ISU's Greenlee School of Journalism and an expert on product
placement, says it's a smart marketing tactic...and the viewing public
has yet to protest.

The brown and black stalks of switch grass, miscanthus and kenaf are not much to look at, having weathered Iowa's
winter snows. But Iowa State researchers see these crops as seeds of change
in alternative fuels.